Condemning the terrorist attack in Jakarta, Indonesia, that occurred on September 9, 2004.

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to thank you Chairman Hyde, Speaker Hastert, and Majority Leader Tom DeLay for allowing this most important piece of legislation, H. Res. 767, to be considered before the House of Representatives today.

In the early morning hours of September 9th, 2004, as Indonesians in Jakarta were settling into their places of work, a devastating explosion rocked the Australian Embassy in the heart of Indonesia's capital, sending at least 180 innocent victims to the hospital and killing at least 10 innocent and defenseless bystanders.

It was yet another terrorist attack that the world has unfortunately grown so accustomed to. But, for Indonesia, this act of terrorism was an attack on their modern and moderate Muslim beliefs and against their choice for a free and democratic nation.

This resolution condemns the terrorist attack that occurred in Jakarta, Indonesia, outside of the Australian Embassy on September 9th, 2004, and expresses our deepest condolences to the families of the individuals murdered and those injured in the cowardly terrorist attack, as we hope for the speedy and complete recovery of all the surviving victims.

We--as Americans--understand the terrible devastation that is felt throughout a nation when this type of senseless tragedy occurs. The horrific event on September 9th, 2004, is a reminder that the United States and Indonesia--along with the rest of the freedom loving nations around the world--must continue to stand firm in our resolve against the evils of international terrorism.

It should be noted that this attack was almost three years to the day since the September 11th attacks on New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania; about two years since a bombing ripped through crowded nightclubs in Bali's Kuta Beach; and only 12 months after the J.W. Marriott hotel bombing in Jakarta.

Furthermore, this devastating attack came just 12 days before the final round of Indonesia's first-ever direct presidential election, which took place on September 20, 2004, and is being heralded as a major milestone and key step towards stabilizing and continuing the numerous democratic gains made by Indonesia in recent years.

The attack also occurred exactly one month before the October 9th, 2004, general election in Australia; and, these radical terrorists must not be allowed to disrupt any free and fair elections, no matter how old or young a Democracy may be.

As a result of Indonesia's belief in the Democratic process, they have been the unfortunate target and victim of Jemaah Islamiah (jeh- mah-Ah Isslah-miyah] terrorists, who have been linked with notorious fundamentalists such as Al-Qaeda, and make their home throughout southeast Asia.

The extremist group of radical muslims, Jemaah Islamiah [Jeh-ma-Ah Isslah-miyah], who claimed responsibility for the September 9th bombing, is trying to disrupt Indonesia's fair and free democratic elections, and the emerging road towards democracy in Indonesia must not be curtailed by these senseless acts of violence.

The United States, Indonesia, Australia, and all of our allies should stand united in the fight against terrorism, working together to bring to justice the perpetrators of the terrorist attack in Jakarta, Indonesia, and all other acts of terror and violence throughout the world.

I would respectfully ask that all of my distinguished colleagues vote ``aye'' and let the terrorist thugs who destroyed a peaceful Thursday morning in Jakarta know that we will not stand idly by and watch as they disrupt the freedoms of our friends, partners, and allies in the global war against terrorism.

Again, thank you Mr. Speaker for allowing me to speak on this important resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman for the time.

First, I would like to thank him for his leadership, and I would like to add my appreciation, as well, to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton), the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Wexler) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks) and the manager of this bill for it is of great importance that we coalesce with our allies and offer a mutual understanding of the pain of the war on terror as it impacts the innocent and the uninvolved.

I rise today to support H. Res. 767, condemning the terrorist attack in Jakarta, Indonesia, that occurred September 9, 2004. Indonesia obviously is not a stranger to terrorist acts, and it was just a few short years ago when they lost hundreds of lives in the terrorist act on one of their local nightclubs, an entertainment center where many tourists found their way.

This is an attack on Australia and the coalition to stand up against terrorism. It is tragic to note that even innocent individuals can face a life of terror because they are victims.

So I rise to say that there should not be one time when our Nation's allies and friends, those who fight their own individual wars on terror, do not receive the sympathy of the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I am reminded of 9/11. I traveled after that. It was so overwhelming to hear from all over the world, no matter what region people lived in, to offer to the United States and all the people who lost loved ones their deepest sympathy and expression of kinship with us, recognizing that we are all in this together.

This war on terror does not find itself comfortable in one place over another, one region, one language or one set of values. Every single nation in this world may be subject to terror sometime, and we would hope that even in those places that would seem to be harboring terrorists, we know that there are people there who want peace.

So I rise to be supportive of H. Res. 767, and as I do that, Mr. Speaker, let me add my support as well for S. Con. Res. 137. That, of course, is the removal of Sudan from the Human Rights Commission in the United Nations.

I was not able to arrive on the floor in the time. I simply want to say that although it may not be characterized as terror, genocide is terror.

We have done everything we could possibly do. The gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne), a leader on this issue, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks), a member of the Committee on International Relations, and I have worked on this issue, many Members have, including the collective Congressional Black Caucus and many, many Members in a bipartisan manner. The Congress has worked its will.

The tragedy is that this does not translate to the government of Sudan. They must receive the greatest penalty, and that may mean the removal from the human rights panel at the United Nations, but it also may mean divestiture, removing the investments of so many from this country and many other places in the economic engine of Sudan.

The government has not learned by our actions. I believe there should be a

wake-up call, even stronger than S. Con. Res. 137. I look forward to our coming together, unified as a Congress, to demand action now by the Sudanese government or they will in turn receive the wrath and the punishment of not only the American people but the world.

In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I support H. Res. 767, ask my colleagues to vote for it and, as well, S. Con. Res. 137.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 767) condemning the terrorist attack in Jakarta, Indonesia, that occurred on September 9, 2004, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 767, the resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, in an unspeakable act of terror, suspected al Qaeda- linked militants detonated a car bomb outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Thursday, September 9 of this year, killing 9 people and wounding at least 173.

The bomb exploded shortly after 10:15 a.m. local time, just in front of the Australian embassy's gate, flattening a section of the steel fence and shattering scores of windows in the high-rise office building as far as 500 meters away. Most of the casualties were Indonesian policemen, embassy security guards and passers-by. No one inside the embassy was killed, although several Australians and other foreign citizens were wounded in the attack. Police are now investigating whether a suicide bomber triggered the blast.

The Australian embassy bombing is the third attack perpetrated by the Islamic militants in the 2 years since the horrible Bali bombings and a deadly blast at Jakarta's Marriott hotel last year. The attacks have been blamed on the al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah.

Mr. Speaker, all Americans strongly condemn this outrageous act of violence. We express our deep condolences to the victims and families of this heinous crime, as well as to the peoples of Indonesia and Australia.

It is also fitting, Mr. Speaker, that we recognize the strong steps Australia and Indonesia have taken jointly, as well as separately, to combat terrorism and investigate this crime. We applaud their efforts to stamp out terrorist threats to their countries and the region and are confident they will bring the perpetrators of this brutal attack to justice.

Mr. Speaker I would urge support for the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time, and on a closing note, first of all, my compliments to my colleague, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks), for his continued leadership on this issue as well. And I want to also commend the original sponsor of the resolution and one of the senior members of the Committee on International Relations, my good friend and former chairman on the Committee on Government Reform, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton), who also had a very important hand in this very necessary and I think very appropriate resolution.

And as has been said here today, I certainly would urge all of our colleagues to pass it, and I look forward to its adoption.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise in strong support of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to commend our colleague, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton), for introducing this timely and important resolution, along with the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Wexler), who serves as cochair of the Indonesia Caucus along with the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton).

The resolution before the House condemns the September 9 terrorist attack outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia. Nine Indonesians lost their lives in this brutal attack, and almost 200 people were injured.

This latest attack by Jemaah Islamiah sadly confirms Indonesia's status as a frontline state in the global battle against terrorism. Over 200 young people, mostly Australian, were murdered in the 2002 Bali bombings. Twelve Indonesians were also killed at the suicide bombing at the J.W. Marriott hotel in Jakarta in August 2003.

While this latest attack occurred on Indonesian soil and those killed were Indonesians, the attack itself was aimed at Australia and its people.

However, these cowardly terrorist acts will not prevent Australia from standing strong against terrorism or from continuing to support the spread of democracy and freedom around the world. Neither will these attacks be successful in changing the path of Indonesia, who has just held peaceful, democratic elections in testament to its moderate character.

The United States must continue to play a leadership role in developing an international coalition that works closely with ASEAN countries to help develop strong partnerships that will help prevent future terrorist attacks.

I would like to convey to the Indonesian people my heartfelt sympathies for the innocent loss of life on September 9 and my appreciation to the Australians for their willingness to confront international terrorism at every turn.

I strongly support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 767, condemning the terrorist attack in Jakarta, Indonesia that occurred on September 9, 2004. I would like to thank the gentleman from Indiana, Mr. Burton, for introducing this timely and thoughtful measure.

Mr. Speaker, a suspected al-Qaeda affiliate known as Jemaah Islamiah detonated a car-bomb outside the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Thursday, 9 Sept. 2004, killing nine people and wounding approximately 180 people. While no one inside the Embassy compound was killed, several Australian and other foreign citizens were wounded in the attack. The great bulk of the casualties were suffered by Indonesians who worked in the area or were simply passing by.

The Australian Embassy bombing is the third major attack in Indonesia perpetrated by the Islamic militants, including the deadly Bali bombings in 2002 and a blast at Jakarta's Marriott hotel last year.

Mr. Speaker, all Americans strongly condemn this latest terrorist outrage act of violence. We extend our deepest sympathies to the victims and families of this outrageous crime as well as to the peoples of Indonesia and Australia.

We stand with the people of Indonesia and Australia in opposition to the use of terror, and we salute their individual and collective efforts to bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice.

Barbarous acts of this kind, whether precipitated in New York and Washington, or Jakarta, Istanbul and Madrid, are more crimes against civilization and humanity than attacks on any particular nation. Hence as we seek accountability we look for the support of faithful people and justice seekers of all societies in a war to eliminate the cowardice of terrorism.

The despicable act that occurred in Jakarta earlier this month does not put the Indonesian or Australian democracies at particular risk. It is civilization and civilized values which demand protection.

I urge support for the resolution.